Frequent Asked Questions
- Do you speak Portuguese?
Unfortunately not yet, however we understand it quiet well. However we speak English, French, Spanish, German and Italian.
- Where do we pickup the props we need?
Our film equipment is stored in Sagres. If we have to delivery props, we have to charge extra to hire a van or car, depending on the volume of the requested equipment.
- I need to save money and wonder if the MAVO 6K can compete with the Arri Alexa mini in terms of image quality?
Basically the image quality is very similar for a much lower budget and you can shoot in ProRes 4444XQ, 12 Bit having the same image quality as RAW and with a much quickly post production workflow in FCPX. Just remember that the MAVO has a max of +/-2 f.stop error margin against the +/- 4 f.stop of the Alexa, but we are sure you can expose your image correctly and we can help to achieve the best result. A plus regarding the MAVO in post, due to his 6K recording, is also the possibility to crop the image a little bit, like when you do a "Ken burn effect" (camera movement) without loosing quality.
- How many meters of track do you have in total for the dolly?
4 meters straight and also 4 meters curve for the heavy dolly
- How much light power do you have in total?
About 20'000 W equivalent to Tungsten
- Can we know exactly the list of all your equipment?
Yes, of course: visit our online shop
- Can we rent just the equipment without your guy?
Unfortunately it's not possible. Our gaffer, key grip or assistant has to be constantly with our equipment, however we don't charge for his work, it's absolutely for free, except you have to provide food and eventually transport and/or accommodation for him. If you need just few accessories, it's possible to rent them without the need of our assistant to come, however we require a deposit.
- Is it possible to rent just the few props we need?
Yes, it's possible: just visit or online shop or ask the for the specific accessories you need.
- How do we pay?
Payment must be done at pickup in cash or at list 4 days before pickup/delivery by bank transfer or by credit card. A non-refundable 25% down payment is requested at booking.
- How long before should we book usually the props we need?
Usually we work with about 6 months advanced schedule. So book your equipment in time!
- When is the best time to come to Algarve for shooting a film, commercial, music clip?
In our opinion the best time is between November and May because you get still a mild sunny climate (at list something good about the climate change...) with an average of 15°C temperature and up to 25°C in direct sunlight and not much wind. The other important aspect is to reduce the logistic cost of accommodation and travel being low season. Finally there are few tourists, most surfers or golf players so it's more easy to get permission for locations.
- How do we travel to Algarve?
The main gateway to Algarve is the international airport of Faro which has directly fly connection all year round from the U.K. Germany, France and Holland and the rest of the world through a "shuttle" fly to/from Lisbon from TAP, the national Portuguese airline. By land, there is the freeway from Spain through Sevilla. Once you enter Portugal, you have to stop at the border station and insert your credit card to pay the electronic toll if you stay maximum one month, otherwise you can pay by credit card online
- Do you rent your film gears outside Algarve?
Yes, we work in all "Schengen" continental Countries, except Switzerland because of duty. Of course there is the extra cost of renting a car or van, depending on the volume of the equipment you need and the travel cost of our assistant. Please note that this is possible to do only for a minimum of 2 weeks shooting from May till October and that the travel is only by land, due to fly restriction regarding the transport of batteries on boards
- Do you rent ARRI ALEXA cameras?
A part the Mini, we don't own other ARRI ALEXA cameras but we can ask our partners, as well for other gears like drones, Kino-Flo, etc. Why? We decided to go lightweight without compromising in quality and keep your budget low and we consider the MAVO camera equivalent to the ARRI at the fraction of the cost.
- OK, we would like to start our "indie" film project with you in Algarve, what's the next step?
We suggest to come to Algarve to meet us and explore the area first. If you would like to go ahead, we will do a standard Hollywood contract for production services & equipment rentals. To start working on the project, we ask 5000 € non-refundable deposit to cover pre production costs as location scouting, etc. Of course, we keep track of all our expenses to be within your previously discussed budget. Have a look also to our resource's page for further information.
- We would like you to be also our co-production partner, as part of your offer. How does it work?
Let's assume we like your project & business plan and your budget is 400'000€ and the total cost for our equipment rentals is 100'000€, then we require 25% of the benefit shares in exchange of the free film equipment rentals in Algarve. Please submit this form to request a co-production partnership.
- I'm a professional in the movie industry living in Algarve. Is there any chance to work with you guys?
Yes, of course. Please submit your request for collaboration.
- i'm an English speaking resident in Algarve with some experience in acting. Could I submit my candidature for your next casting?
Yes, of course. Please submit your casting request.
- I own/manage a nice place which may be good for a shooting in Algarve, could I submit it for your consideration?
Yes indeed! Please contact us anytime.